


The Days Between

by kiwilicious



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Angst, Fluff, I'm a lesbian but I accidentally fell in love with Kravitz, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-21
Updated: 2018-07-23
Packaged: 2019-06-13 21:27:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,483
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15373677
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kiwilicious/pseuds/kiwilicious
Summary: A lot happened between Taako and Kravitz's first date and the reunion in Story and Song, and this is a story of what happened between those chapters. It shows how their relationship evolves and how they fall in love, and all the sweetness and sadness it entails.





	1. Second Date

**Author's Note:**

> Let me just say that the oversharing of fears and traumas is such a gay experience (that I have frequently). Also, I'm very sorry about the super cheesy reference.

It was early evening on the Bureau of Balance, and Taako laid on his bed reading his favorite book, a romance novel about the powerful, famous wizard and his devoted steward, Henry. Taako grinned as he got to the part where the wizard had to choose between his status and his lover. Even though he had read this book dozens of times, he still found himself excitedly wondering what the wizard would choose. Just as the wizard was about to make his choice, Taako's stone of far speech began to glow and make a low hum. Taako looked and inside the stone was just a picture of a skull. Taako sat upright quickly and grinned a bit before taking a deep breath and answering the call.

"Hey, pumpkin. Business or pleasure?" Taako asked preemptively, trying to sound smooth and confident.

"Oh, I, um . . . " Kravitz was caught off guard by Taako's forwardness. "Pleasure, actually? God, that makes it sound really creepy." Taako giggled at that.

"So what's on your mind, stud?" While he talked, Taako spun two small flames rapidly around his palm in his free hand.

"Dinner, actually," Kravitz said with a bit of a chuckle. "Specifically dinner with you. Tonight. There's this great little bistro down in Waterdeep. How about it?" Taako closed his palm and extinguished the flame.

"Well, if you insist," Taako answered while inspecting his nails. "I guess I can take some time out of my busy schedule for you." 

"Oh, that's . . . That's excellent, Taako. I can't wait. I'll pick you up at 8:00?" Kravitz asked.

"Perfection! See you then!" he answered cheerfully.

"See you," Kravitz chuckled a bit and shut off the stone. Taako sighed and laid back down on the bed, then grabbed his pillow and hugged it tightly. He thought of the last time he was with Kravitz, how the Umbra Staff reacted to him. He stood up and walked over and pulled it off the wall to inspect it. He considered leaving it behind, in case it wanted to attack his date again, and reached over to hang it back on the wall. Suddenly he froze as felt an intense pang of closeness and longing, though he wasn't sure why. He stared at the staff for a while before deciding to keep it with him. After that, it was time to get ready.

Several hours later it was 7:55, and Taako was sitting on a bench on the quad. He was wearing slim black slacks with a white shirt and a black jacket. He tied the look together with some buckled stiletto boots, a black felt wizard hat, and an intricate silver chainmail patterned necklace. He had many different thoughts racing through his head as he anxiously rubbed the handle of the Umbra Staff. He thought of his date, he thought of June and the Temporal Chalice, and he thought about how hard Madame Director had been pushing him and his friends. She was clearly terrified of something but wouldn't say what. Something big was coming. Taako stared at the grass completely lost in thought when he suddenly had a chill run up his spine, which made him shiver. He looked up to see Kravitz standing in front of him, dressed in a sharp suit, holding his jacket in his hand, and looking concerned. Taako quickly stood up, flustered and surprised.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you." Kravitz apologized and laughed a bit awkwardly. "You okay? You looked a bit sad."

"Oh, yeah, I was just . . . " Taako hesitated a bit before answering. "Meditating. Just getting some focus." Kravitz tilted his head to the side with a curious expression, but decided not to push.

"Oh, right then. Well, you ready to go?" Kravitz asked, and held out his hand. Taako grinned and grabbed it enthusiastically before gasping and pulling his hand back quickly. "Shit, sorry - I forgot about the cold hands. I'm sorry."

"No it's okay - I just forgot." Taako grabbed his hand again and held it firmly this time. Kravitz smiled warmly and summoned his scythe in his other hand, and used it to open a portal directly to Waterdeep. They stepped through and found themselves directly in front of the bistro, which was nested between two shops on the docks. The water was lit by floating lanterns along the water and a lighthouse in the distance. Taako found himself looking at the lovely view of the Sea of Swords. He remembered the last time he was here touring the cooking show. It was such a wonderful part of town.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Kravitz said warmly. He realized he was still holding Taako's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. Taako looked down at their hands, then looked up at Kravitz and gave him a big, genuine smile. After a moment they entered the restaurant and were brought to a small table by the front window. The table was adorned with roses and candles. They sat down at the table, Kravitz pulling out a chair for Taako, and then Taako magically pulling out a chair for Kravitz. They ordered some red wine for the table and ordered their food, then Taako laid the Umbra Staff down on the table against the wall, and Kravitz glanced at it and raised his eyebrows.

"Are you sure that's not going to attack me again?" Kravitz half-joked. 

"No, she's cool." Taako laughed.

"She? It's a she?" Kravitz asked.

"Huh," Taako replied hesitantly. "I don't know why I said she. I guess it's like when people refer to their battlewagons as female. People do that sometimes." 

"Right. What's the story with that thing anyway? Was it a gift?" Kravitz asked. 

"Nope. Found it in a cave." The wine arrived and Taako took a sip.

"You found an artifact that powerful . . . In a cave." Kravitz raised his eyebrows in disbelief. 

"Yeah. Shit like that happens when you do adventuring. It blasted the shit out of Merle but I guess it liked me." Taako glanced at it for a moment then looked back at him. "Actually, can I confess something crazy?"

"Of course. I'm used to crazy." Kravitz replied.

"Sometimes when I look at it I get this really strong feeling, but I can't figure out what I'm feeling or why."

"It's not a thrall or anything, right? Artifacts with thralls are bad news." Kravitz had a tinge of worry on his voice.

"Nothing like that. I deal with thralls on the regular - they're always asking me for something. This isn't a request, it's just a feeling." Taako rested his chin on his hands. "It's like . . . It's familiar, but not _too_ familiar."

"Uh huh . . . " Kravitz responded.

"But not too not-familiar? I told you it was crazy, man." Taako laughed a bit nervously and laid his hands down on the table.

"It's certainly strange," Kravitz said while shaking his head, "but I've definitely heard crazier."

"What do I know, anyway? I'm just Taako the idiot wizard." Taako sighed.

"You know what I think?" Kravitz asked and reached over and grabbed Taako's hand. "I think you pretend to be dumb as a defense mechanism, but I think you're one of the smartest people I've ever met." Taako stared at Kravitz, speechless and blushing. After a moment he had to drop his gaze.

"Jeez. What a nerd." Taako said quietly, overwhelmed by Kravitz's kindness. He shook his head and looked back up at his date. "Well, enough about me. What's your story?"

"My story? Well, it's pretty average. I grew up here in Waterdeep to my loving parents. My mom, who was human, met my dad, who was a dark elf, on the docks when she was working as a sailor. They fell in love, had me, I decided to study music when I was fourteen. To pay for the lessons I worked at this small bistro on the docks until I was 17. One day I came home from work and found my parents dead on the floor. I started to run over to them when I was ambushed by a man hiding behind the door. I was stabbed six times. As I laid there on the floor, bleeding out next to my parents, I prayed to any god that would listen. I prayed that my parents would wake up, that they didn't deserve this, that it wasn't their time. And then I died. I remember seeing my body and seeing a figure, a giant, black, birdlike figure. It spoke to me, saying that my parents were taken before their time. It said that it would give them their life back if I agreed to serve it in the afterlife. I agreed, and now they're living a long, happy life here and I'm a bounty hunter for the Raven Queen." Kravitz let out a sigh after his story. Taako stared at him with wide eyes, completely frozen.

"Holy fuck." Taako was completely stunned. "I was not expecting that. Especially not so candidly." 

"It used to fuck me up real bad, but that was centuries ago. Now I'm just happy my parents are alive and well. And I like my job." Kravitz just shrugged. 

"Do you remember dying?" Taako asked softly.

"I remember. I used to remember the pain and the fear vividly, I would relive how it felt almost daily. But it hurt less as time passed. There are still times where it still feels really bad, but that's very rare now. I don't think about it most days." Kravitz gazed out the window for a few moments. He looked back at Taako and smiled, a bit of sadness lingering in that smile. "It's okay if you don’t want to talk about it, but do you remember your deaths?" 

"In Refuge? I know that I died, but I never felt pain. I think we were being protected." Taako answered.

"What about before that? Those other deaths?" Kravitz asked and leaned in closer.

"Oh, those ones . . . I don't, um . . . " Taako couldn't piece his thoughts into sentences and began shifting in his seat. 

"You don't have to talk about it if you're not ready. I'm sorry I brought it up." Kravitz squeezed Taako's hand, which seemed to calm him down a bit.

"No," Taako sighed. "It's fine. I just . . . I honestly don't remember those deaths. Like, at all. And that terrifies the hell out of me. I lie awake at night trying to figure out when I could have died. Was it when I was living on the road? Did I get killed by bandits? Or was it when I was touring my cooking show? Was it that horrible show where I accidentally killed an entire town? Did I accidentally poison myself? I don't know. I'm just so scared because I hate not knowing."

"I've dealt with a lot of people dodging death, but they all know about it. I honestly don't know why you're the exception." Kravitz said quietly. "But I'm here for you. I'll do whatever I can to help you figure it out." Taako looked into his deep brown eyes and smiled. He felt safe. Moments later the waiter brought over their food, filet mignon for Kravitz and chicken nuggets for Taako. They both stared at their food quietly for a moment before Taako burst out laughing.

"We've been on this date for thirty minutes and I've already spilled my deep-seated fears on you," Taako said while picking up a nugget. "What a fucking train wreck."

"You think you're the train wreck? I just blabbed my entire tragic backstory at the drop of a hat for no reason. I'm the fucking train wreck." Kravitz let out a chuckle too.

"We're both out of control trains that just crashed into each other and made one big train wreck." Taako chuckled a bit. "I've never told anybody that. But I feel safe with you." 

"I feel the same way, Taako. But I'm making a sweeping declaration. No more bummers. For the rest of dinner. Only happy things for the night. That sound fair?" Taako laughed and agreed. They ate their food and told funny stories about friends and contracts. Taako told Kravitz about Magnus eating the Philosopher's Stone (and the bodily chaos that ensued afterward) and Kravitz talked about the necromancer that claimed that he didn't mean to raise a skeleton army, he just fell on the open spellbook and then sneezed an incantation on accident. The rest of the night passed quickly, the two deeply lost in conversation. 

Soon they finished dinner and took a walk down the docks. Rather than continuing the conversation, they opted for a walk in comfortable silence. Taako shivered, and Kravitz put his suit jacket on Taako's shoulders. As they walked, their hands touched briefly, fingertips lightly touching, dancing on the other's skin, and then finally they laced their fingers together, holding each other's hands tight. Eventually, they ran out of public dock to walk on, and Kravitz took Taako back up to the Bureau. Not quite ready to call it a night, they sat on the bench in the quad. The stared up into the sky, staring at the stars. Taako leaned his head on Kravitz's shoulder. 

An hour later, Taako woke up as he was being nudged by Kravitz. He yawned, not realizing that he had fallen asleep, and looked up into Kravitz's eyes. He smiled and stretched, and stood up. Kravitz stood up too and they walked to Taako's room, neither of them wanting the night to end. They got to the door and said their goodbyes. Kravitz leaned in close for a moment, but then stepped back and said good night. Taako replied goodnight, with a bit of sadness in his voice. He walked inside and closed the door, then leaned up against the door and took his hat off, throwing it on the coffee table. His heart was pounding and he let out a longing sigh. After a moment there was a gentle knock on the door, and Taako gasped. He spun around and opened the door to see Kravitz again.

"Oh thank god," Taako whispered as he grabbed Kravitz by the face and pulled him in for a passionate, deep kiss. Kravitz put his hand on Taako's lower back and pulled his body in close, then ran his other hand through Taako's hair. Eventually Taako pulled back a little bit and sighed contently. Kravitz sighed in return and laughed quietly.

"Wow." He whispered and leaned his forehead against Taako's.

"I know," Taako responded. "Hachi machi, that was incredible." Taako pulled back and looked Kravitz in the eyes.

"I've never felt like that before. You're definitely something special." Kravitz shook his head and smiled. "I can feel your heartbeat, you know." Taako laughed and took a step away, into his room. With a longing look in his eyes, Taako grabbed Kravitz by the hand and pulled him inside, closing the door behind him.


	2. On Top of the World

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Something big looming is on the horizon and everybody is worried. As a much-needed distraction, Taako suggests going to the Midsummer Harvest festival down on the planet, and things get a bit real. The two are really connecting, but they can't help to worry about what the future holds.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm excited about where this is going! I got big plans! :)

It was three days before Midsummer Harvest Festival, at the end of a long, hard day of training. At the end, Lucretia had told them that it was their last day of training because their next journey would begin tomorrow. She tried to keep an even tone, but everybody knew: she was terrified out of her mind. After training, Taako went to the quad and sat down on the bench and stared at the grass in front of him. It was full of people quickly walking crossing it, busy as ever. Taako watched them and he could feel their fear. They know that something big is coming. They're trying not to think about it, to keep themselves busy, but they're afraid. There were no preparations for the festival; there wasn't any time. He grabbed his stone of far speech around his neck and stared at it, lost in thought and gently rubbing it. After a while, Taako stood up and returned to his dorm, entering and sitting down on the bed. Taako looked at the stone and drew a deep breath, then tuned it to Kravitz's frequency and sent out a call. It let out a low hum for about ten seconds until Taako heard the smooth, deep voice that made his heart flutter.

"Hello?" Kravitz answered.

"Hey, stud, it's Taako. I just wanted to . . . " Taako trailed off a bit, unsure of what he really wanted. "I just wanted to talk. Are you busy?"

"No, actually, I just finished a job and I'm off for the rest of the day. What's up? Is something wrong?" Kravitz asked, sounding concerned.

"Oh, yeah. I just missed you." Taako looked down at the floor as if he was breaking eye contact with somebody who wasn't there. "Do you wanna come up here and just hang? We don't have to do anything special." Kravitz let out a soft chuckle.

"Of course. I'll be there in about 10 minutes." Kravitz replied and hung up, and Taako realized that he should probably tidy up if he was going to have company. He stood up and began to shove trash from several orders of takeout food under the bed and flung some dirty clothes into a hamper. Had he actually thought about the state of his room before inviting someone over, he would have cleaned more thoroughly, but instead, he had ten minutes and panicked a bit. As he cleaned, he thought of the last time Kravitz was in his room. The two of them didn't talk much, they just enjoyed each other's company. This time would be different. 

About ten minutes later, Taako had just barely finished cleaning before Kravitz knocked on the door. Taako opened it and gestured for Kravitz to come inside. The two made their way in and sat down on the couch in the living room. They say quietly for a few moments, unsure of what to say. Finally, Taako broke the silence.

"So what's up, my dude?" Taako asked, trying to sound like his normal self. Kravitz just looked at him, looking worried and confused.

"Oh, uh . . . Not much. You okay, Taako? You seem really out of it." Kravitz replied while grabbing Taako's hand. 

"Yeah! Totally!" Taako said, shaking his head. He looked up at Kravitz and looked him in the eyes. He stared at him for a moment and sighed. "I can't lie to those soulful eyes. I'm tired. I'm tired from the nonstop training. I'm tired of pretending to be cool, confident Taako in front of the other two stooges. I'm tired of being on this moon full of people trying to pretend they aren't tired and scared of something big and nameless. And I don't know why it's so easy to let my guard down with you. I love it, but at the same time it terrifies me." Kravitz tilted his head to the side, then put his hand around Taako's waist and pulled him close.

"I understand. I feel it too." Kravitz sighed and looked at the wall. "I can feel it in the other planes. It feels of death. More than usual. But you know what I think?"

"What?" Taako replied.

"I know we can handle it. Whatever it is." Kravitz spoke confidently, and Taako laughed.

"I know, pumpkin," Taako said quietly and smiled. After a moment he stood up and turned around to Kravitz. "You know what? No more bummers. We're gonna have a good time. Since nobody's doing the Midsummer Harvest Festival here, let's go planetside. Let's find the biggest possible festival and just go hog wild." Taako flashed a big, toothy smile and reached his hand. Kravitz laughed and grabbed Taako's hand, only to be quickly pulled to his feet. Kravitz stood to his full height and stumbled forward a bit. He was standing very close to Taako. They both froze for a moment, suddenly aware of this silent heat between them. It was romantic, and the two definitely had chemistry, but Taako could swear he could feel actual heat radiating from Kravitz. Taako stepped back a bit, suddenly aware of the blush that took over his face. He looked up at Kravitz, and Taako could see that whatever it was, Kravitz felt it too. Kravitz shook his head and chuckled, then summoned his scythe and opened a rift that lead to Neverwinter, then offered his hand. Taako grabbed it and was pulled through the portal, and then there was no mistaking it. Kravitz's hand was warm.

The festival took place on the boardwalk, with an abundance of games and rides and stalls of food. Taako and Kravitz arrived and immediately began exploring. They played games, and Taako was going to try to cheat, but he didn't have to as Kravitz won every game. After the games and armed with a variety of prizes (including a giant stuffed bugbear that Taako would not stop hugging), they made their way to the final event of the night. The Ferris wheel. They went to board, but the ticket agent demanded that Taako put away the bugbear. Taako complied, but then under his breath, he conjured a sign on the ticket agent's back that just said "KICK ME". They got on the Ferris wheel and began their ascent. 

"Hey, Taako?" Kravitz said quietly, watching the people below them get smaller and smaller.

"Yeah?" Taako replied.

"Thanks for suggesting this. I really needed this too." Kravitz said with a chuckle. He looked down to Taako, who smiled big even though he kept watching the water.

"It doesn't always have to be doom and gloom with us. " Taako chuckled a bit. "Spending time with you . . . It gets really easy to just be myself. And I know I have a lot of issues. But I don't want to dump them all on you. This is our . . . " Taako thought for a minute. "Fuck! This is only our third date! This isn't exactly traditional." Taako shook his head and rolled his eyes. 

"I understand, Taako. But I need you to know you're not a burden. I want you to trust that you can always talk to me about what's bothering you. I am more than willing to listen, even if I can't help." Kravitz smiled, and Taako finally looked back up to Kravitz. They stared at each other quietly, no words needing to be said. They slowly leaned in toward each other, Taako reaching up and placing a hand on Kravitz's cheek. As their Ferris wheel car reached the top, they finally kissed, softly and sweetly. Fireworks began to go off over the water, popping and lighting up the car. The continued to kiss, and a wave of heat began to radiate off of Kravitz. Taako felt it and pulled back to look at Kravitz. He smiled as he finally realized what it meant.

"Taako, I . . . I . . . " Kravitz was trying to say it, but Taako interrupted him by putting a finger to his lips.

"I know," Taako whispered with his smile growing bigger. "I do too." Kravitz sighed and grabbed Taako's hands.

"I really do," Kravitz said softly, and Taako went back in for another kiss. As they kissed, Taako forgot about training, he forgot about the relics, he forgot about the base full of people he barely trusted. At that moment it was only him and Kravitz on top of the world.

\-- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

Kravitz delivered Taako to his dorm at about midnight, gave him a kiss goodnight, and then traveled back to his post in the astral plane. He arrived and immediately he sensed something was off. He looked up at the prison and started to run towards it when the top of it exploded with this black, tar-like substance. Suddenly Kravitz was washed away in the sludge and a ceiling of black clouds appeared overhead. Lightning struck and more sludge began raining down as Kravitz was completely submerged in the depths.


	3. Salvation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It feels like the end of the world for Kravitz, awash in a black sea and feeling hopeless. In the face of fear and uncertainty, he fights for survival. All the pieces are finally starting to fall into place, and with the help of a mysterious stranger and some strange lights, Kravitz realizes his destiny may be bigger than he ever thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS MAJOR SPOILERS FOR THE END OF THE BALANCE ARC- 
> 
> This was a wild ride. Enjoy!

Time stood still for Kravitz as he was completely entombed in black sludge. He prayed and he prayed to the Raven Queen, but he was met with silence. He struggled against the thick sludge, but couldn't reach the surface. Kravitz was thankful that he didn't have to breathe, and he tried a few spells to free himself, but none worked. He was completely powerless. He was completely cut off from everything. He only saw black, and the only sound was the storm above. 

It was hard to tell how much time passed before a new sound echoed through the air. It sounded like an opening with air pouring through. Kravitz listened close to identify what changed. He heard a voice. After a moment he recognized it as Magnus. With the sound of Magnus came hope at last, and suddenly Kravitz found the strength to try to swim as he followed the voice. After a struggling for a few moments, he finally surfaced. He saw above him a portal to the ethereal plane, and he saw Magnus almost about to breach into the astral plane. Behind Magnus was Taako grasping his hand. Kravitz screamed Taako's name as he fought to stay above the sludge, but he couldn't hear him. A giant hand appeared behind Taako and began pulling the two of them back, but before they disappeared Taako looked right at Kravitz, the fear on his face laced with pain. Then they disappeared, and the rift closed. 

Kravitz stared at the sky, unsure of what he just saw. He wanted to break down sobbing, but his self-preservation kicked in now that he was on the surface. He spun around until he saw the Eternal Stockade standing tall, and began to swim towards it. Soon he found the mountain that that prison stood on and climbed out of the sea. He sat on the solid ground for a short while to regain his strength, then made his way inside. 

He made his way down the corridors, navigating the halls and trying to find anybody that could help. Certain sections had cells completely submerged, with no way of attempting a rescue. He soon found an old elf relatively unscathed by the flood, who was meditating and seemed unaware of Kravitz's presence. Kravitz had decided to move on and began walking away when he was interrupted by a smooth, low voice.

"Wait," the elf said calmly, and then turned their body to face Kravitz. They were in prisoner garb, with sickly pale skin and curly grey hair. They were so thin and frail they probably couldn’t stand if they wanted to. "I know what you need. I can help you." Kravitz slowly walked over to the bars. 

"How? How can you help? Magic doesn't work here." He wanted to believe them, but he was skeptical and hesitant about trusting a prisoner.

"It's true we've been cut off from our sources, but the loss was gradual," they began to explain. "You slowly drained your power over time, unknowingly. I have been imprisoned for millennia, and my power was taken upon imprisonment. If you gave me back the vessel containing my power, I will have enough to send you off. In exchange, I will keep the remainder of my power and be free of this place." 

"How can I trust you? You could do anything to me. You could be dangerous." Kravitz asked, shaking his head.

"Perhaps. You can't know." They chuckled. "All you have is my word. My word is that in my life, I never committed acts of violence. A very, very long time ago I served Istus, before I perfected my craft that very was frowned upon by her followers. You are free to leave me be if you wish. It is your choice." They closed their eyes again. Kravitz knew he was low on options. He had no power to escape the astral plane. His only other option was to ask another prisoner, and with no access to the prison register, he had no way of knowing if they were more dangerous. He sighed. There was no choice.

"I'll do it. I'll get your vessel." Kravitz informed them. And with that, Kravitz struck a deal. The elf just smiled without opening their eyes, and Kravitz set off. He knew that the vessels were kept in a vault at the top of the tower, and thankfully the elevator to the upper floors was intact. He ascended and entered the vault chamber and unlocked the door. He found the vessel with their cell number, an onyx gemstone about the size of his fist with a green glow inside. He reached out to grab it, and as his fingertip grazed it, he felt the immense power radiating from it. He hesitated for a moment before grabbing it and tucking it in his pocket and exiting the vault, locking it behind him. He made his way to the elevator but was suddenly interrupted by a flash of blue and green light, a vision, and a song.

Every thought in his head was completely silenced by the wave of new memories. He saw a ship. He saw people dressed in red. And finally, he saw Taako. Taako was talking to a woman who looked exactly like him. He recognized Lup, Taako's twin sister. He saw darkness, and he saw pain, but he also saw light and friendship and hope. He saw an endless struggle against the Hunger. He saw the Light of Creation falling through the skies time and time again. He saw beaches and forests, a world of mechanical creatures, he saw Taako die over and over and over. Turned to stone, swallowed by the darkness, killed by wildlife, and every time he saw threads of light reassemble Taako as fresh as the day they left. He saw seven completely overwhelmed and underprepared people face the apocalypse day after day in the hopes of saving the anybody they could. He saw everything. 

Once the effect of the new memories passed, Kravitz fell to his knees. He began silently weeping and shaking his head. He finally understood everything. After a few minutes, he let out a weary sigh and stood upright, bracing himself against the wall. He called the elevator and rode it down, trying to complete his quest. He finally arrived at the cell and offered the vessel to the elf. They smiled big and grabbed it, then rose to their feet, stumbling a bit, 

"Thank you kindly," they said as they crushed the stone in their hand, and immediately a green aura enveloped them. Vines appeared and grew up their legs as they stood tall. The vines completely encased their legs and part of their torso. They began draining the life from the vines and their skin gained color again. They gained strength from plant life, and the dead vines made a hard exoskeleton. Kravitz had heard of necrobotany but he had never seen anybody actually perform it. Their curly hair had darkened to a deep chestnut brown and their eyes became a bright blue. They closed their eyes as Kravitz kneeled down to the ground and waited. They began a low, guttural incantation as a strange wind began whipping their hair wildly. They stopped chanting as a small circle of blinding light appeared. It began to slowly grow in size. 

"What's happening? Is this normal?" Kravitz shouted over the wind anxiously.

"As it turns out, you're in luck! Someone is opening a portal from the other side!" The elf shouted over the wild wind. "They're incredibly powerful! All I need to do is make sure it opens smoothly from this side!" Right as they finished saying that there was a massive explosion that filled the corridor with blinding light and a concussive boom. Aside from Kravitz's ears ringing there was silence. And then, gradually, there sound. Color began returning to Kravitz's vision, and soon, realization. There were trees, there was grass, and then finally, in front of him, was Taako. Kravitz rose to his feet, and he couldn't believe what he was seeing. Taako started running toward him almost immediately. Kravitz was about to start asking questions, but he was interrupted by Taako throwing himself onto Kravitz and kissing him passionately. At last, they were reunited, and they both had so much to tell each other, but there was no time to catch up, as the world as ending. As they both went off to their destinies, they both shared an unspoken promise that when they won - and they were definitely going to win - they would spend eternity together. 

The Day of Story and Song is about sacrifice, and terror, but it's also about courage, and dedication, and love. We saw the battle of the ages, how every single person, no matter who they were, fought back against certain annihilation. We saw people give their lives, we saw people acting selflessly, and we saw the same seven overwhelmed and underprepared people finally accomplish their goal. They destroyed the Hunger, and saved countless worlds and planes. The sun sets on Day of Story and Song, and we're left with people singing songs of victory. We're left with people eager to begin rebuilding. Then we're left with Taako and Kravitz, sitting on a bench on the half-destroyed quad of the Bureau of Balance. The Starblaster is parked on the grass, people are hugging and congratulating, and Taako has his head leaned on Kravitz's shoulder. The two hadn't spoken since the battle ended. They felt no words were necessary. All they wanted was just to sit in each other's company. It was hard to tell how long they sat there quietly, but eventually, Taako broke the silence.

"You think bad shit is just magnetically attracted to us? Like tragedy goes out of its way to fuck us up?" Kravitz just laughed and grabbed Taako's hand, lacing their fingers together. 

"Maybe," Kravitz answered. "But you have to admit there was some good stuff too."

"Yeah," Taako said quietly. "You may be right about that." Taako gave Kravitz's hand a kiss. He sat quietly for a moment. "There was something I wanted to tell you in the middle of all the chaos, but I forgot until now."

"Oh?" Kravitz said, smiling a bit.

"I love you." Taako whispered. Kravitz began radiating warmth and turned to look at Taako.

"I love you too," Kravitz whispered back. Taako picked his head up off of Kravitz's shoulder and met his gaze. They leaned in close and shared a soft, gentle kiss for a moment, then they pulled apart and looked back out at the quad. Taako leaned his head back on Kravitz's shoulder, and let out a content sigh. With the apocalypse behind them, they looked forward to eternity.


	4. Epilogue

"I present to you, for their first dance as wife and wife, Carey and Killian Fangbattle!"

The crowd at the reception cheered wildly as the newlyweds stepped out onto the dance floor, grinning and trying not to cry. They began their dance, and Kravitz, dressed up for the occasion in a striking black tuxedo, sat alone at a table and watched. The reception was being held outside the temple where the ceremony was, under two large trees that were gently showering pink flower petals from its branches.   
Kravitz took a sip of his champagne and scanned the crowd. By the back door of the temple, he saw Taako talking to Lup, laughing and hugging. As the song ended, Taako nodded and they both went through the door. After a moment they reappeared carrying out a giant wedding cake and brought it over to a big table underneath a gazebo. The cake was three-tiered and covered with blue flowers that matched Killian's tunic and Carey's headpiece. It had silver swirls spiraling up the tiers and on top were hand-sculpted wooden figures of a tall, muscular orc and an equally muscular dragonborn. The brides approached the cake and inspected the figures, then waved over Magnus. Magnus grabbed both of them in a big tight hug and they all laughed together. Kravitz watched them for a while, smiling to himself. 

"Hey, stud. You come here with anyone?" Kravitz turned to the seat next to him to see Taako leaning in close and grinning. He was dressed in a black skirt with thigh-high black stilettos and a puffy white shirt tucked into it. 

"My boyfriend is here with me and he'll be very jealous if he sees you," answered Kravitz, who was trying to hide his smile.

"Oh? Well, what he doesn't know won't hurt him." This time Taako was sliding his hand onto Kravitz's thigh, which made him break character. He leaned his forehead against Taako's and laughed. 

"Are you excited for our vacation? I've got some great spots lined up for us to visit." Kravitz said, changing the subject. "And you can meet some of my work friends!" 

"Any place with you is a dream come true, pumpkin," Taako replied. Kravitz smiled, then he stood up and held out his hand with a small bow.

"So, Taako. Shall we dance?" Kravitz asked. Taako stood up and grabbed his hand excitedly.

"Of course babe. You can lead this time." Taako answered as they made their way over to the dance floor. They began their dance, holding each other closely. It was warm between them, and Taako just leaned his head against Kravitz's chest and closed his eyes. 

They danced without words, and after a few minutes, the song ended, but they didn't stop. They just let songs begin and end and they didn't stop holding each other close. Hours passed, and eventually, the music stopped. Carey and Killian said their final goodbyes to everyone and with that, they were off to the honeymoon. Taako and Kravitz finally let go of each other and stared into each other's eyes. Kravitz softly put one hand on Taako's cheek, and Taako tilted his head into it. Kravitz leaned down and kissed him, putting his other hand on Taako's lower back and pulling him close. Almost everybody at the wedding was gone, save for a few people staying behind to clean up, and then it started to rain. Taako pulled back looked up at the rain and smiled. He put his arms out and stepped back, then began spinning around in circles. Kravitz watched his love play in the rain for a little while, but soon it was time for them to go.

"Babe, it's almost vacation time. Are you ready?" Kravitz asked, and Taako stopped spinning.

"Fuck yeah!" Taako responded gleefully, then took a step forward and stumbled a bit. "Shit. I'm very dizzy." Kravitz stepped forward to grab him and steady him, then he let go and summoned his scythe. He slashed open a rift leading to the Astral Plane, where they would begin their romantic getaway. The scythe dissipated and he turned back to Taako and grabbed both of his hands. They looked into each other's eyes for a moment, then turned and stepped into the portal. The rift vanished, and they were gone.


End file.
